Manny Aguilar: Leading kids away from gangs

How do you help a child who’s already in trouble? Manny Aguilar will tell you it begins by becoming someone that child can accept and count on. Here he talks about his work as a gang intervention specialist with California Youth Outreach and the power of simply being a consistent, positive influence.

Q: Who does California Youth Outreach serve?

A: Our main focus is to work with those youth who are in gang-related situations, whether they are gang members or on the cusp of becoming gang members. We try to intervene, to give them the opportunity to move out of that lifestyle. We work with the kids who are placed either at Juvenile Hall or the Youth Center.

Once they are incarcerated, we want them to know who we are and realize that we’re here for them. We befriend them, bring them the things they need, and develop a relationship so they feel they have a resource they can accept. We also offer family support. We can connect family members to our resources like Boys and Girls Club or recreational centers like the Bread Box or the Hebbron Family Center — resources that allow kids to stay away from the streets.

Q: What are the challenges these kids face once they’re released?

A: There is a transition time in which we help them connect to city and county resources. We want to help them become involved in something. We don’t come from an authoritative position; I’m not a police officer or therapist. I just focus on how the individual is doing. I ask, “What can we do to help you?” I determine what kind of encouragement they need.

(The gang culture is) all around them. We can’t just ask kids to drop out of something that is all around them. So we have to change their mindset and lifestyle. We have to change their attitude, which only happens slowly, over time. They need to understand that it’s OK to be supportive of their neighborhood, for example. But they have to learn how to do that without getting caught up in that next level of violence or theft. We help them learn how to make smart choices.

Q: What led to your involvement with the Center?

A: I grew up on the East Side. ... I got kicked out of Alisal High School and went to Salinas High. That was the pivotal moment in my life, when I got taken away from my environment. I was pulled away from my friends at that high school, and it actually worked out for the best. I got away from the (gang) lifestyle. But I’ve always been around it. A lot of my friends, friends I had since kindergarten, are gone now because of the lifestyle they decided to follow.

California Youth Outreach is a non-profit organization. It’s also a faith-based organization. The founder, Pastor Tony Ortiz, has been doing this over 40 years. He grew up on the East Side and became a gang member who went to prison. When he got out, he had a vision to open an agency to help out youngsters.

Q: What is the most important kind of support you offer these kids?

A: We’re encouraged to simply be a positive influence in their lives. The presence of somebody positive is always better than somebody who is negative. Kids have enough negative already: They have teachers who don’t want to deal with them, counselors, supervisors who don’t want to deal with them. But put me with some kids, and I’ll want to deal with them. I’m not there to judge them; I’m there to help them.

Sometimes, simply asking “What’s up?” can open doors. They may say, “I’m going through it, man.” They may feel they’re going through a hard time or their parents or family is going through a hard time. It’s important to be present for those moments when kids open up to you.

We work with about 200 kids a year. We talk to them within classes and the Youth Center. I teach family and youth skills, teach about peer pressure, anxiety and stress, all the things that kids go through, so they are ready to handle these things. We associate with kids who go to Rancho Cielo, we collaborate with Hartnell’s certificate program, and we’re involved with CASP (the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace).

Being part of a collaborative makes me feel like we offer a large network. Whether it’s regarding safety, health, psychology, city or county issues for family, if you’ve got a problem, I can help — and if I can’t, with a simple phone call I can find an expert who can.

If it has to do with families in Salinas, we’re there making it happen.

Rachel Vallarta Davidson is a student at UCLA.

Robin Aime is a writer with the marketing firm Boots Road Group LLC.

The Community Alliance for Safety and Peace is a group of organizations working to reduce gang violence in Salinas and Monterey County. More at http://future-futuro.org.